CQC demands care home takes action to improve services

18 May 2011

Ballater House is not meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has told Ballater House Care Home that if it does not take immediate steps to improve, the regulator will take enforcement action.

Following an inspection of Ballater House Care Home in Coulsdon, CQC inspectors found that care is falling short of the essential standards of quality and safety people should be able to expect.

We reviewed all the information we hold about this provider, carried out a visit in January 2011, observed how people were being cared for, talked to people who use services, talked to staff, checked the provider’s records, and looked at records of people who use services.

CQC has told Ballater House that it will be monitoring it closely and will hold it to account if improvements are not made swiftly.

CQC Regional Director for the South East, Roxy Boyce, said: “The care at Ballater House has fallen short of the standards people have a right to expect. It is clear standards require improvement, so we will continue to scrutinise this service very closely indeed to ensure these improvements are made and sustained.”

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Care Quality Commission has a number of enforcement powers that enable it to act swiftly when services are failing people. These include issuing warning notices, restricting the services that a provider can offer or the way it is provided; or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards.

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For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9239 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.

Notes to editors